3:34 Although 1 he is scornful to arrogant scoffers, 2
yet 3 he shows favor to the humble. 4
15:5 A fool rejects his father’s discipline,
but whoever heeds reproof shows good sense. 5
18:3 When a wicked person 6 arrives, contempt 7 shows up with him,
and with shame comes 8 a reproach.
1 tn The particle אִם (’im, “though”) introduces a concessive clause: “though….”
2 tn Heb “he mocks those who mock.” The repetition of the root לִיץ (lits, “to scorn; to mock”) connotes poetic justice; the punishment fits the crime. Scoffers are characterized by arrogant pride (e.g., Prov 21:24), as the antithetical parallelism with “the humble” here emphasizes.
3 tn The prefixed vav (ו) introduces the apodosis to the concessive clause: “Though … yet …”
4 tn The Hebrew is structured chiastically (AB:BA): “he scorns / arrogant scoffers // but to the humble / he gives grace.” The word order in the translation is reversed for the sake of smoothness and readability.
5 tn Heb “is prudent” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NCV, NLT “is wise.” Anyone who accepts correction or rebuke will become prudent in life.
6 tc The MT has “a wicked [person].” Many commentators emend the text to רֶשַׁע (resha’, “wickedness”) which makes better parallelism with “shame” (W. McKane, Proverbs [OTL], 521; R. B. Y. Scott, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes [AB], 112; C. H. Toy, Proverbs [ICC], 355; cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV). However, there is no external evidence for this emendation.
7 sn “Contempt” (בּוּז, buz) accompanies the wicked; “reproach” (חֶרְפָּה, kherpah) goes with shame. This reproach refers to the critical rebukes and taunts of the community against a wicked person.
8 tn The term “comes” does not appear in the Hebrew but is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity and smoothness.